1 struggles to survive as more caught in NC rip currents

ATLANTIC BEACH, N.C. — Two young men are struggling to recover after nearly drowning in an ocean rip current off the North Carolina coast.

Multiple media organizations reported the 19- and 21-year-olds from Greenville were rescued from the ocean in Atlantic Beach on Sunday morning. The 21-year-old was reported to be in critical condition at a local hospital.

Their rescue comes a day after a 56-year-old man drowned while trying to save two teenage girls from a rip current, also on Atlantic Beach. A 17-year-old from Goldsboro died June 10 after getting caught in a rip current about 10 miles down the Bogue Banks in Emerald Isle.

Red flags have been warning people for days all along the North Carolina coast about dangerous surf.

Read more top trending stories on wsoctv.com:

• Closures begin Monday for Mint Hill roundabout construction
• 79 now believed to have died in London high-rise fire
• 21-year-old found shot to death near playground in west Charlotte
• CMPD: Driver hits, kills man in west Charlotte, drives off
• WATCH: MONDAY FORECAST: Afternoon storms, humidity an issue for this afternoon
• Strange creatures discovered off Australian coast

Associated Press